Lady Knight
by Sakura Blossoms1
Summary: Set in Medieval times, Prince Endymion of Spain and his comrades train to become knights. Yet ordinary life ceases to exist with the arrival of the new page, the new page who happens to be a girl.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: No, I am no Naoko Takeuchi, much to my regret. I do own this story though, so don't steal it.**

**Author Notes: I know it's a little slow at the beginning, but believe me… it'll get interesting  
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Amidst the loud chatter and successive waves of boys rushing in and out of the halls, a group of five boys walked along, making their way through the crowds with ease. They themselves were engrossed in a conversation, and had no idea they parted the packed halls so quickly. They were treated like kings – mind you, in a way they were.  

There was Gregory of Mohrsville, often quiet, but at times outspoken; his eyes would dance excitedly when engaged in a heated debates about politics.

There was also Chad; a shaggy haired youth who talked as a peasant, yet in reality was the son of Duke Charles of Ivyfields. 

Kenneth was tall and lanky, yet strong. He was the son of Duke Matthew of Keahi. 

Yet two of the group appeared to be set apart from the three. There was Andrew of Greenpeaks, who was a mere "farmer" noble, and yet no one dared to call him so; he walked with the air of a prince and had great strength. And finally, a handsome, raven-haired prince of sixteen; (as was the age of the rest of the group) Prince Endymion of Spain. He had bronze, tanned skin – much apart from his fair-skinned comrades. He had dark, midnight blue eyes that flashed slate when angry, a colour that made the ladies of the court swoon. Rumours of his stay here were many, but none of them true. Best of all his classes, no one dared to challenge him, no one – but one. An enigma of sorts, in more ways than one, she surprised even the bravest of squires. 

And so our tale begins in the castle, where the training of pages and squires, and of where our group of young men dwell…

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**Author Notes: I know, no Serena yet – I'm getting there! And this is only the intro… read more to find out! Oh! And ****review as well, if you have any comments or would just like to tell me how much they like my story ^_~**


	2. Enter, Page Serena

**Disclaimer: No, I am not Naoko Takeuchi and hence, do not own Sailor Moon. But I did write this story, so please don't steal it.**

**Author Notes: Heh… we're going to introduce Serena now, so…. on with the story!  
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As mentioned earlier, the five young men were engrossed in a conversation. Supposedly, this was a topic of gross proportions, according to a rather smug Chad, who was delighted to have his comrade's attention directly on him. This is the conversation and the events that followed it, after much cajoling and a series of threats by the other members of the group.

"Alright, alright already! You didn't have to mess my hair," a rather perturbed Chad said, glaring at a grinning Kenneth. 

Ken crossed his arms over his chest, "Well, when you keep stalling like you did, raving like a madman about some big important news and then finally "deciding" we shouldn't know at all, you had better expect some consequences." 

Chad grinned as well, then revealed what he had learned, "Well, I was up at the masters table, serving the Lord Leander, when I overheard him discuss with the Lady Marina about a new page arriving tonight!" Chad chose this moment to pause, in an attempt to captivate the attention of his now wavering audience.

"That's it?" Endymion asked, throwing his friend a bemused smile. Chad simply smiled a knowing look, and decided to continue.  
"No, that is not "it". What's so special about this new arrival is that she's female." he finished, looking rather satisfied.

"So he's female – so what? She's a - - a what? You mean he's a she? She as in… _girl? Female?" Greg stammered, his face looking rather terrified at the mention of a female. Poor Gregory was rather frightened of women, who had been surrounded by commanding woman all his life – from his mother, to older sisters. _

Chad rolled his eyes, who thought Greg's phobia of women unnecessary. "For goodness sake, Gregory, they're just men with breasts and longer hair!" It was at this moment, he was bumped to the side by a small, running figure, who yelled an "Excuse me!" over his back as he continued running down the hall, with a stream of long, dirty blonde hair trailing behind him.

            "Then again, we have exceptions to the rule – that young lad over there had ounces of hair. Watch we're you're going boy!" Chad added, dusting himself off a bit and picking at his shirt. The boy merely looked over his shoulders, threw him a grin, and continued running.  
            "Never mind about that lad – tell us more about this new arrival. You say it's a _she?" Endymion asked who received a nod of confirmation from his friend. "But that isn't possible, is it: a lady knight? Why of course it couldn't – or my sister would have packed her bags and demanded that she be a lady knight as well. Raye, what a tomboy she is. Anyways, is this an exception to the rule? Has this happened before?" Greg shook his head,  
            "No, this has never occurred before. Perhaps she has parents of great stature, and cajoled them to pull some strings." Greg suggested, thinking thoughtfully._

            "Oh, why don't you go out and say it – she's obviously a whiny, spoiled tomboy of a girl who thinks she can handle the life of a knight. I bet she wouldn't last a week here. Maybe even a day if we're lucky –" Endymion claimed rather frankly. He smiled in the direction of Andrew, who had been quiet ever since the conversation began. He found that Andrew was frowning, looking behind him distractedly. "What?" Endymion asked his friend.  
            "Hmm? … Oh – oh, nothing Endymion. I suppose it's time we get to the dinner hall. If the arrival is coming tonight, she should be introduced at supper. We shan't want to miss that." Andrew said, hurrying to the dinner hall at the sound of the bell.

(In the dinner hall)

            As soon as everyone had arrived at the tables, Lord Leander looked around then rose from his seat. A silence filled the room in respect to the Lord of the training grounds, and what he had to say. Endymion noticed that a chair to the left of Lady Marina had been left empty.   
            "Tonight, I would like to welcome a new arrival at Andreas Castle. Though you may notice they may be different, they are to be treated as if they were just another student here, training to become a knight. If I should find that students of Andreas are not as – accepting as I would expect, there will be consequences." he finished, pointedly looking in the direction of Chad, who had a reputation for playing pranks on new pages. Chad simply smiled as innocent a smile he could muster, and gave a small wave to Lord Leander.

            The lord in return smiled grimly, and then motioned his hand to the back of the hall. With a great booming voice, he said, "May I present to you, Page Serena fa Christié, niece of the Highness, King Andrew, and daughter of Baron Eros and Baroness Marina fa Christié."  

            Almost simultaneously, the heads of all the pages, squires, and knights turned in the direction of the doorway, to have their mouths gaping at the ethereal sight before them: she was beauty, in all its perfection. She wore a white ball gown, with layers of rustling silk and shimmers of pearls as her body swayed. Her ocean-like blue eyes sparkled with what looked like amusement, as she placed her right foot behind her left and gave the room a deep curtsy. Smiling, (whether because half the men had spilled food to their shirts, or simply to be polite, I cannot say) she gracefully strode across the room and up to the main table.

            There, she spoke, "I thank you for your attention, but -- its rude stare." She gave one last smile before flipping a strand of her long, dirty blonde hair behind her bare shoulder. Endymion stared even harder.

"Hey Chad – wasn't that the boy a while ago who bumped into you?"   
Chad squinted, then nodded in amazement. "I guess 'he' was a she after all."  
"Any ways, I don't believe that girl is capable of the intensive training we go through daily. She looks too weak, too fragile – as if she'll break any moment. 

She's more like a doll you look at – rather, a very good looking doll. " Endymion was going on, but began to trail when he noticed that the usual chatter of others had disappeared. He mustered one of his cocky grins toward his friends, waiting for their nodding of approval, but found looks of horror on their faces.  
            "What?"  
            Silence.   
            "_What?" Exasperated, he turned around, to be met with the eyes of Serena fa Christié, who looked ready to laugh in his face. She bent forward, and puckering her lips, she whispered in his ear,  
            "I think the doll can walk too. You had better make sure it isn't in the room when you're talking about it." Grinning, she threw a gallant smile in the direction of Lord Leander, (who, I might add, looked positively furious) and then strolled lightly back to her chair.  
            Endymion slumped in his seat, feeling rather small after realizing she had been behind her the entire time. "Why didn't any of you tell me?" he grumbled, glaring at his supposed "friends", who had burst out laughing as soon as Serena had left.   
            "I'm sorry man…" gasps of breath, "But that was just too much!" peals of laughter.   
            "Oh shut up, you were the one who thought she was a man." At this, Chad immediately stopped laughing, sobering up quite a bit. Endymion grinned in satisfaction, and glanced toward Kenneth, Gregory and Andrew. "Well, what do you think of our new page?"  
            "I think she was beautiful," replied a starry eyed Kenneth, who was still gazing in her direction as he said this.  
            "Yes – I believe she won't be that bad, being a woman and all." Gregory added, who was also staring at Page Serena.  
            "Honestly! You're forgetting that she's a female – a __girl for heaven's sake!" exclaimed Endymion, who was tired of Page Serena already. She may be beautiful, he agreed, but he doubted she even knew how to handle a sword. Yes… that girl wouldn't last here._

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**Author Notes: Ok! That was it! What did you like, what did you NOT like? I'm taking another stab at this fan fiction business, so please give me as much feedback as possible! ****Review please, thank you!**


	3. The Ache of Defeat

**Author Notes: I want to thanks you for all the nice comments, and all the suggestions. Oh! A note to Sailor Pisces; yes, I am a fan of Lioness Rampant. That's where I got the setting! But don't worry, I have something much different planned for our Serena. Tell me what you think of the fight scene; it was a very new thing for me to write about and describe. Did you understand what was going on? Did you understand _nothing? E-mail me if you have any questions or concerns.  
_****Disclaimer: I am not Naoko, and hence, do not own Sailor Moon or its affiliates. I did write this story though, so… yah - don't blatantly copy it or anything. **

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            In the dinner hall of Andreas Castle, a lone figure was hunched over on his hands and knees, scrubbing at its floors with a merciless vengeance. The raven-haired prince was all the while cursing in rapid Spanish, the name Lord Leander frequently being spoken in an unflattering tone. The Lord Leander had been furious at Endymion's outburst during supper, and had instructed him to "wash the floors clean of his filthy words". He was then ordered to apologize to Page Serena. Outraged, the Spanish prince stormed off, but not before hearing the Lord Leander threats to remove his privilege of riding his horse, Leila. Horrified, he agreed.   
             At the entrance of the hall where our prince continued scrubbing, another figure was quietly musing at the obviously disgruntled Endymion. Finally, she decided to reveal herself, and sauntered towards the prince.  
            "I don't speak Spanish, but I don't think you were describing the Lord as the virtuous, courageous man that he is," Serena said, eyes twinkling.  
            Endymion looked up, glaring at the unwelcome visitor. For a moment, he was startled at the girl's radiance, but quickly dismissed such notions. "What are you doing here, _girl? Haven't you gotten me into enough trouble already?"   
            Serena merely smiled, "__Me? Get __you in trouble? You men, must you always blame the women for what is obviously your fault? I'm here because the Lord said you had something to say to me." She looked at him expectantly.  
            The Spaniard sighed, and after a long pause, muttered, "I'm sorry,"   
            Smiling, Serena turned to walk away, but angrily spun around when she heard him add, "I'm sorry for women everywhere, its girls like you who give them a bad name".  
            "Excuse me?"   
            "You heard me – you really think you can take the harsh training of a knight's life? Look – I'm not some jerk who thinks a woman's duty is to simply bear children and bring about alliances through marriage. And though you look fit enough, there's no way you can survive the physical demands at this school. You're going to quit, and when you do – you're going to disappoint plenty of little girls who aspire to be something greater. If you disappear from the scene now, no one will be the wiser." he finished, unaware he had been promoted from "Jerk" to "Smart Jerk" in Serena's mind. She wasn't going to tell him that though.  
            "Listen – thanks for the advice, but I'm not backing down now. I know I can be a knight - and unless I'm locked in the dungeons of this castle, I will not surrender to your chauvinistic ideals that men are stronger than women are. And those little girls you just mentioned – that's partly why I'm doing this. Someone's got to break the tradition, and that's going to be me. Nice try, but I'm not going to quit that easily." With that, she stalked off._

  
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            The following morning, Endymion raced through the now empty halls. Empty they were, because classes had started fifteen minutes ago and he was late. Thankfully, he had a pretty laid-back first class teacher who often didn't punish the tardy. And yet – when he did, the man got downright devious. 

            "Sorry… I'm… Late… Duke Keith…" Endymion huffed, as he took a seat beside Andrew against the wall, where the rest of the students had taken a seat.   
            Duke Keith simply smiled, and it was that moment the prince knew that their staff instructor had decided to punish him for his lateness.   
            "No need for apologies Page Endymion – I was in the process of partnering up your classmates for some drill practices today. And you're just in time too – our new arrival, Page Serena, doesn't seem to have any willing partners. Perhaps someone who doesn't feel the need to attend all his classes could brave Serena."   
            Endymion groaned, assuming that Serena had no willing partners because she was a girl, and therefore, unfit to battle with. Resignedly, he rose and searched for Serena, spotting her in the corner, eyeing the wooden staffs.  
            "So, I suppose you're my partner for today."   
            Glancing up, Serena met Endymion's challenging eyes.  
            "Yes, I suppose so. Atleast I have someone to practice with. After the initial drill practices, no one wanted to be my partner any longer. I was worried I wouldn't be able to practice." Getting up, she handed Endymion a staff and assumed ready position, as the other students had done.

            _Great, so she must be horrible as well. Endymion thought to himself, positioning his feet sideways and turning to face his opponent. Just because she was a girl didn't mean he would treat her any differently. __Actually, I believe I'll let her have the first move, Endy thought to himself rather cockily, who would soon pay for his carelessness._

"You may begin," their instructor said.

Serena assumed a defensive position, but realised that the prince was allowing her to make the first move, just as her last five partners had done. _Very well, she thought grimly. __If you're going to be cocky, I'm going to have to deflate that ego of yours. And with that last determined thought, she feinted to the right, switched her staff to her left hand, and swung the wooden pole at his knees, bringing him crashing to the floor._

_What the hell just happened...? I could have sword she was holding the staff with her right hand. Endymion thought to himself as he got up. He set up for an overhead swing, but Serena ducked and swung her right foot for his feet. The prince learned his lesson the first time though, and jumped. As he landed though, Serena had continued to swing around and hit his legs with her pole again. Wincing, Endymion's legs buckled and his arms moved upward to meet Serena's staff. The clack of wood echoed throughout the room and it was then that he noticed the entire class had stopped practicing, and were watching Serena and him._

A fierce fire flooded Endymion's veins as he attacked Serena. Though he was much stronger, she was much quicker and the pair was evenly matched. Serena met every one of his aggressive blows, retaliating with one of her own. This continued for another tense twenty minutes, until with a fancy twist of her arm, Serena managed to confuse her opponent and - grasping the staff with two hands – pivoted to her side and thrust the staff at Endymion's chest, sending him flying. His body slammed against the wall and the room was suddenly filled with a quiet awe and amazement. The sudden movement of Endymion's once lifeless body brought out a simultaneous sigh of relief. 

Getting him, he strode toward the victor and bowed to her, but a dark look shadowed his face as he bent forward. Bending down, she bowed as well, 

officially ending what had turned out to be a battle.

            "Excellent – excellent work! Very well done, Page Serena - you as well, Endymion. Perhaps you shall not be as hasty to judge your opponents. I hope everyone today has learned something!"

"Yah, that the new page has amazing legs when she does her high kicks!" a voice rang out, and everyone laughed, even Serena.

Duke Keith smiled. "Go, go young pages – learn, live! Overcome new challenges and hopefully you'll survive this place!" Duke Keith rambled, more to himself than the class.

            Endymion's back hurt, and chest ached. That had been the most rigorous fight he had had with anyone his age, and the first time he had lost. He didn't like the feeling. Andrew walked up to him, eyes laughing at the disgruntled look on his friend's face.

"Wow… so how does it feel to get whipped by the doll?" He joked, grinning even wider when Endymion glared a dark look at his friend.  
"Shut up Andrew – what's with you anyway? It seems like you've been on her side from the moment she came here? Gods – don't tell me you've fallen in 

love with her: along with the rest of the student population." The prince retorted, massaging his neck as well as his aching pride. "No need to worry, I haven't fallen under that girl's spell yet – I'm determined to never let her defeat me again."

            "No, I haven't fallen in love with her. I simply thought it was funny that you got _whipped by the doll." Andrew taunted once again, then suddenly breaking into a run as his friend's eyes flashed angrily._

            "Get back here!" Endymion yelled, as he chased Andrew down the halls, towards their next class.

  
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The years to follow were a fierce competition between Serena and Endymion. While one day, Serena may have beaten him in staff combat, the next revealed Endymion bested her in swordsmanship. She bettered him in archery, but he was superior in skill when it came to jousting. Both were the best of their classes, and it also created a rivalry so intense that none would dare interfere. And yet, for the oddest reason imaginable, they would come together every night and practice together, criticizing each other with the most critical comments, and fueling each other with their insults and forwardness. They pushed each other to the limit, and became enraged when the other wasn't trying – or didn't learn something quickly enough.

When they first began this strange ritual, the boys laughed and teased them, accusing them of courting each other at night. But a pair of murderous glares from the two promptly stopped any notions. They showed no such feelings towards each other, and at times it seemed like they should hate one another. It was one night though, when our readers should question the type of feelings they had for one another…  
  


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**Author Notes: Haha… not exactly a cliff hanger, but I definitely got you all intrigued, rite? insert rolling ball of hay here heh… well, for all of you who read this, please review and tell me if this was better in length compared to the others, what you thought – did I rush it too much, or what? Boring? Exciting? Totally wicked cool? Tell me! ****REVIEW! Oh! By the way, I added anyone who reviewed my story and left their email! If you no longer want to be notified, please e-mail me and tell me! For those who would like to be on the mailing list, email me at sakura_cherry_blossoms@hotmail.com and I'll be sure to add you to my list!**


	4. Dawning Realizations

**Author Notes: Ok, I know its been 2 weeks, but I'm sorry! I seriously began writing this last week, but simply couldn't find the time! Thanks for all the nice reviews, and keep them coming! I appreciate the time you guys take to comment! And yes – you can simply review saying you'd like to be part of the mailing list, and I'll add you that way too! **

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Sailor Moon – though I would glad take the rights if they should be offered. ^_^ I did write this story though, so don't blatantly copy it or claim it as your own. *eyes narrow* There _will be consequences._**

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            "Come on Serena! Try again!" Endymion yelled across the room at the retreating figure. When she reached the opposite wall, she turned on her heel and sprinted. Seeing her break into a run toward him, he maneuvered his body into a defensive position. "Come on… come on," he muttered to himself, silently praying she would get it right this time. His partner was even closer now, racing at a speed that would have made him nervous, if it wasn't for the fact that he trusted her completely. Closer and closer she advanced until, at about five feet away from him, she hesitated. "Dammit – no!" he cried, as he watched her jump at him with a high kick, then staggering at the last moment and falling the floor with a loud thud.   
            Sighing, he crouched down, "I can't believe you! You - you did it _again!" Frustrated, he ran his hands through his dark, ebony hair, frowned, and then smiled coyly, "I know my stunningly, handsome face may be a little distracting at times – heavens, sometimes__ I'm surprised at how attractive I've become. But you must learn to overcome your feelings for me and __do the BLASTED JUMP!"   
            Scowling, she retorted, "Oh get over yourself…'stunningly, handsome face'? Unlike the rest of the females at this castle, I haven't been blinded by that ego of yours which has steadily grown to the size of a star. __I can still see your face, and every time I run up to kick it, I'm suddenly filled with a pang of guilt – I would only be making your face uglier. __Then where would you be, oh Spaniard prince?" _

"Shut up, _doll. Just because you can't make the jump doesn't mean you should take it out on me."  
"Arrogant __pig – you started it."  
"I was only trying to help you, you ungrateful __wench,"  
"You mean putting me down is __helping me? Newsflash: I do not thrive on insults."  
"Yes you do – it's the only thing that drives you. And I did not put you down! Now try again!"_

"No! I'm sick and tired of you barking out orders!" Serena yelled, and then stalked out of the room without a word.  
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            Endymion sighed, and then hurried to the window to watch her angrily march away, across the courtyard, and enter the east side of the castle. He was about to pack up his training gear for the night and get some rest, when it occurred to him that Serena's room was on the west side of the castle. The east side was the boy's dormitories, and he suddenly panicked. She wouldn't mess up his room, to spite him for insulting her, as he had all night whenever she attempted the high kick. In actuality, he was just trying to fuel her, so she would be angry enough to get it right – not run away.

            _This is happening more and more often… she keeps running away from our __midnight__ practices. Especially when I yell at her – her eyes well up as she stares at me, then she blows up and runs off somewhere, he realized, suddenly thoughtful. __This time though, I'm going to follow her. She's been messing up that jump all week – she usually gets new jumps or kicks right away. Eyes set with determination, he bent over to put on his boots, and then run after her._

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"I hate him, I hate him, I hate him, I HATE HIM!" Serena screamed, angrily thrusting her sword to the floor, the sound of its blade hitting the floor echoed its shrill note throughout the room. Andrew, who was patiently listening to Serena, winced at the sound, but remained silent. "Drew – for the past week, every attempt I have made to let the jackass know how I feel about him, he insults my combat techniques as if I was just another "one of the guys".  
            "Sere – for the past four years, that's all you ever wanted: to be "one of us". To be treated equally, and now – you don't want that?" Andrew asked, finally asking what Serena often asked herself.   
            Calming down, Serena took a seat beside Andrew on his bed and rested her head on his shoulder. She looked thoughtful for a moment, and then slowly replied, "I – I want him to see me as more than just a rival – I want more now. I don't know – this may be stupid, but I want him to notice when I part my hair differently."

"It's like all he cares about is how good I am – he's always on my back when I fail, and he's always criticizing my form, or my kick, or anything! He never insults the other boys, or tells them when they do something wrong. And he's never given me the smile he gives the ladies of the court, he gives me that grin – that blasted, handsome grin after I finally execute an exercise perfectly. He'll hold the ladies close at the balls, whisper words that bring them to blush and giggle. After he danced with me at the Midsummer's Feast, he gave me a handshake! A _handshake Drew! We were dancing close, our lips were nearing, and then the song stopped and he pulled away and gave me a handshake. Ugh!" Serena finished, falling back on the bed with an exasperated sigh._

"Listen – as arrogant, egotistical, pigheaded or incredibly stupid Endymion may seem – he likes you. You know he does. He wouldn't waste hours of his time with you every night if he didn't. That whole rival thing – you know that's just an excuse. You think he would even bother with you, too tell you your faults, if didn't care about you?" Andrew finished, but stopped as he saw tears well up in Serena's huge, blue eyes.

"Why won't he tell me so? It's so hard Andrew! It's so hard watching him flirt with a lady, then train with me as if I was just another guy. You know?" she finished, looking up at his with questioning eyes.

"I know Sere, I know." The farmer noble replied softly, pulling her in his arms and gently kissing her on the forehead.

"I love you, Andrew." Serena whispered. 

"I love you too, Serena." he responded, holding her closely, but the quiet reverie was broken with the sound of a door shutting softly. 

Startled, the two looked up and stared up in surprise at the cold, slate eyes of Prince Endymion of Spain. His hair was magnificently tousled by his run through the courtyard, and he looked menacing in his black cape and armor. His mouth was thinned to a grim frown, and the expression on his face was simple enough to read: he was extremely pissed off.

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Endymion ran through the courtyard, toward his room. He thrust his door open to find it intact and empty – no Serena. He thought for a moment, and then rushed next door to Andrew's bedroom, surprised to see it slightly ajar. He clutched the door handle and began to turn the brass handle, but stopped himself at the sound of Serena's voice.   
            "I love you, Andrew." It was at that moment it dawned upon him that perhaps, Andrew's friendly attitude towards Serena was something more. Endymion had always wondered why Andrew would come to Serena's defense at any given time, and yet – he had never believed them to be a couple. Suddenly, the prince lost all control at the thought of anyone man attempting to woo Serena – his veins filled with anger at the mere thought. He was confused – Serena was his adversary, his rival; why is he jealous at all? _Jealousy - is that was it is, a voice replied mockingly, as if it had known all the while. Endymion had no idea what he thought, or what he felt – so he did the only thing he could: he opened the door._

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**Author Notes: Hey! Sorry it was so short, but I had to stop it there! I didn't really want to write what happens next – that's for the next chapter. Haha – all you Mamo and Usa fans don't go flaming me yet – just wait and see what happens. ^_^ Amazingly enough, I have the entire plot planned out. Well… all I can say now is ****REVIEW PLEASE!  
And once again, if you would like to be part of my mailing list, review with an email, or email me yourself! sakura_cherry_blossoms@hotmail.com **


	5. Secrets Revealed

**Author Notes: Um, just a little warning – I used a couple of swear words in this one, about… five, I'd say. None of them are the "f" word though, and I tried to use them in moderation. Enjoy!**

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            Eyes wide, Endymion gaped at the couple, shifting his eyes to Serena; who looked like a deer caught in headlights, and Andrew; face pale from sickly fear of what the prince may do to him. The phrase, "you could cut the tension in the air with a knife" was an understatement for the situation; you would need a chainsaw to hack at the dangerous silence. Finally, as if exasperated by the mere silence itself, Endymion asked, "What the hell is going on here?" 

            Silence was once again a reply, until Serena valiantly replied, "Nothing." There was an icy, cold edge to her tone, and Endymion was momentarily startled by it. She never used the "bitch" voice with him… that was exclusively given to Diamond the pervert, as they affectionately liked to call him. 

            "I'm sorry Serena, but I don't believe expressing your love for Andrew is considered nothing. Especially when he returns the favor!" he retorted, throwing Andrew a frightening glare. 

            "It's none of your business anyways! What would you care? It's not like I was yours to begin with – it isn't as if I meant anything to you," whispering the latter more to herself than to him. Endymion noticed a watery sheen collect on her eyes, but thought nothing of it. He was too busy realizing in wonderment, that Serena really wasn't his.

            "What's the matter Prince Endymion? I'm sorry if this has just come to you now, but unlike the rest of the female population here, I'm not in love with your egotistical self!" 

            _Liar - Serena could almost hear Andrew's thoughts, he himself was fighting off a grin that was forming at the corners of his mouth. Receiving a glare that clearly told him to "shut up," he did as he was told, and amused himself by staring at his boots._

            "Yah, well… you know you're not allowed to be in the boy's dormitories at night anyways! What's wrong? You finally realized I was out of your league and decided to go for Andrew?" the prince suggested, partly speaking what he feared. 

            Though the room was dimly lit, you could see Serena's fair face turn bright red; Endymion believed it was because he was right, and became disappointed. Before he could cast another sarcastic retort, Serena spoke, eyes blazing with a fire that made the prince nervous.

            "For your information, Andrew is sweet, kind, thoughtful, everything you're not! _He would notice if I parted my hair differently, which by the way, I did today. He's worth ten of you, considering how overbearing you've been all week! He, unlike you, also respects me – and don't give me that drivel about respecting me. If you respected me, you wouldn't even suggest such a thing going on between me and Andrew!" _

            "If Andrew's so great, why don't you just marry him?" Endymion replied, wanting to crawl into some corner, feeling like his heart had been stomped on. 

            Andrew, to his great surprise, leapt to his feat, and exclaimed words that brought more impact than all the verbal abuse Serena and Endymion had exchanged all night, 

            "For Christ's sake, you moron, I'm her brother!" 

            Serena whirled her blonde head so quickly; bestowing him a "what the hell do you think you're doing?" look, which he knew he deserved. Endymion, on the other hand, looked as if he was experiencing an epiphany. His eyes widened in sudden realization, as if it was beginning to all make sense. Finally, he stared at long and hard at Serena, (who was squirming uncomfortably under his scrutiny) and then at Andrew. Again, he nodded as if this agreed with his suspicions.

            "It all makes sense," he muttered to himself, "the day she came here – you weren't surprised at all at her arrival. You were always quick to defend her, and you would always glower at the sight of Diamond, whenever he would hit on Serena. Mind you, we always thought you had a crush on her…" Suddenly he stopped, and then asked a question, "So… you aren't merely a farmer noble? You're… cousins with the Princess! Why didn't you tell us? You could have avoided a lot of slurs because of it – the boys would have at least treated you with more respect."

            "That's exactly the point. They would have all treated me differently; I wanted to be treated just like the rest of you!" 

            "If we're finished playing, "The Life of Serena fa Toren," I'm going to my room, to think of different ways to torture you (and here, she gave Andrew a pointed look) for revealing our secret. Once I'm through with that, I intend to think up different ways to torture His Highness, if he should reveal the newly found secret." And then with full intention of stalking off and making a spectacular exit, Endymion grabbed at her shoulder.

            "Oh no… you're not going anywhere. You're coming with me, and we're going to practice that kick all night if we have to. By the time we're through, you're going to be so good at that damnable kick; you'll be able to do it with your eyes closed." 

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            "No, no! Like this! Here!" Endymion yelled, frustrated. He stood above her lying frame, waiting for her to get up. When on her two feet once again, he stood behind her and planted his strong hands on her waist. "You take this foot like this," he instructed, grasping her well-toned thighs, and slowly rotated it in a counter-clockwise direction. "Then you take this leg, and thrust it around your body, so you spin and hit your enemy in the neck, or face." 

            Both were breathing heavily now, Serena's back was pressed up against his torso, and her head was turned back, lips in close proximity with his. He had stopped moving her legs altogether and his hands had settled on her waist, wrapping his arms around her and pressing her tightly against him. 

            "Serena," Endymion whispered voice low and nearly inaudible.

            "Mmhmm?" she answered,

            "I like your hair best when you part it to the left, like you did last week."

            Smiling, she moved her body around, and snaked her arms around his neck. Tilting her head to the side, she parted her lips slightly and kissed him full on the lips. As he kissed her back, she could feel his arm tightening around her waist. Their kisses became more fervent, until Serena finally managed to pull back, realizing how late it was. 

            "Good night, Your Highness," she said, bowing, but a smile was surfacing on her face.

            "Farewell, Lady," he replied, taking her hand and kissing it softly. He wore a dazed expression, but he looked satisfied with what had occurred that night. He watched her walk away, then stop at the door of the room to turn around,

            "Oh, and Prince Endymion,"

            "Yes?" He replied, grinning as he wondered if she wanted to continue where they had left off.

            "Tell anyone of what just happened, and I will bloody your face to the point where that will be the last kiss you are ever bestowed."

            Still grinning, he nodded, and bent down to put on his boots. This had been some night.

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**Author Notes: Just wanted to say thank you all, for being so patient! Also, please review! They are what keep me going! J**

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	6. Happiness Out of Arm's Reach

**Author Notes: Hey! I really want to know what you think of this chapter, my Muse has decided I am worthy of her time today. He he… this is when some of the drama comes into play. You didn't think it would stay all nice for long, now did you?**

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Sailor Moon!**

          To use the adjective _patient to describe the noun __Andrew, would be an incorrect use of the adjective; after only moments of darting expectant glances across the table, to the smug looking Endymion, did he drop his spoon with a definite "clang" into his empty porridge bowl and give Endymion a hard look._

          "So?" asked Andrew's face, looking exasperated and impatient.

          "What?" Endymion asked in reply – looking rather confused. Andrew's eyes suddenly glazed – perhaps he was deciding which form of physical pain would knock him off his cloud and back to reality the speediest. Reaching into his satchel, he rolled up a work book and hit our prince with a smart "smack" of his make-shift club.

          "So what happened after you swept Serena away last night to 'practice her kick'," Andrew asked, exasperated. 

          Feigning ignorance, the prince replied, "Why are you saying it like that? That's all we did… practice her kick. Why? Were we supposed to practice the combat positions as well? I thought she was quite good at that… no need for extra practice there…"

          With a low, dangerous growl, Andrew intervened, "You don't take the only female student in this school – a beautiful girl with a well-toned body and legs the entire school has been drooling over ever since we hit puberty – spend two hours alone in a room, guiding her legs and be within close proximity of her all the while, and just "practice her kick" the entire time. Now perhaps if you wish to continue this game where you feign idiocy, we could fill in the others about what I witnessed last night, and ask what they feel you and Serena might have done – or should have done…" Andrew trailed, before meekly turning his gaze to Lord Leander, who was standing behind Endymion. For one, frightful moment, Andrew believed the Lord had overheard his conversation with Endymion – but that thought was quickly admonished.

          Lord Leander cleared his throat, causing Endymion to give a startled turn in the direction of the noise. With a gruff voice, the red-haired, bearded man informed, "Prince Endymion – your father, His Highness King Philip, and Her Highness Queen Isabella of Spain, request your presence tonight, at the Westminster Castle. You are to be prompt for your drive, and be properly attired." With a final warning glance in Andrew's direction, he nodded to both and walked away.

          "What was that about?" Andrew inquired, curiosity peaked.

          "Frankly, I'm not quite so sure myself. Anyways, I have to go…" Endymion finished, getting up and pulling his satchel over his shoulder. Just before leaving the lunchroom though, the dark-haired prince yelled over his shoulder, "If you even think about telling anyone about last night… I _will kill you."   
          "Are you __threatening me, oh-Prince?" Andrew asked, teasingly. _

          Endymion's intentions were not to be averted though, "I wouldn't even dream of threatening you, oh cousin-of-a-Prince – that was a promise." 

          The first class of the morning, Endymion swept into the classroom, heaving deep breaths and giving, what he hoped to be, the most sincere, apologetic look he could muster. He was late, having wandered the halls reminiscing about the night before and losing his way.   
          Giving a distracted look in Endymion's direction, the master just nodded, "Yes, yes… I suppose it will be alright this time. Goodness knows the last time you were late was, four years ago… I believe." Smiling to himself, the old master walked towards a pile of wooden staffs. "Oh, Endymion - you will need a partner to spar with today." 

          Turning, he searched for Serena – he naturally believed they would be partners. They had been partners ever since she had beaten him the first time. Besides that, no other student could really hold a candle to the two – but today, he realized with bewilderment, that Serena already had a partner. She sat beside Greg, who was blushing profusely merely because of the proximity between him and the beautiful girl. He also appeared to be very nervous – he kept glancing around, until his eyes met Endymion's. Eyes widening in fear, he mouthed, "She made me." 

          Though he understood how persuasive his regular sparring partner could be, his anger would not be lessened. Left only with Greg's usual partner, Chad, Endymion picked up a staff distributed by the training master and began a flurry of attacks at Chad. Chad was just as nervous as Greg had ever been; in short, Endymion was pissed. Really pissed. Extremely pissed. You could almost see the prince's Spanish blood emit an aura of strength and superiority, and if it was possible, his dark blue eyes darkened to the color of a raging storm; alike in ferocity as well as color. _Jesus! What the hell's going on between Serena and Endy? Chad thought, desperately trying to defend himself from the furious strikes of the prince._

          _She knew __I wasn't ill, or injured today! A fuming Endymion thought to himself, meanwhile whipping around the staff and meeting Chad's quivering staff with a "Clack!" __She's purposely, "Clack!" __trying, "Clack!"__ to avoid me, "Clack!"  _

          "Four years and you would think she would wait three blasted minutes!" He roared out loud, stunning Chad with his outburst long enough to switch his staff to his right hand, turn about, and met Chad's legs with a loud "Crack!" cracking the staff into two. "You," he snarled, pointing towards the only female in the room, "outside, now!" 

          Realizing, after staring at her expectantly and receiving nothing but defiant, indignant glares, that the stubborn girl would not come with him on her own accord, he stalked towards her and without hesitation, flung her small, lithe body over his shoulder and stormed out of the room, slamming the door on his way out. The class merely stared at the closed door for a few moments, then suddenly scrambled and shoved for a place at the door.

          The prince stalked down the hall, ignoring the curious glances of those who passed by. One even looked as if he intended to rescue the kicking and screaming female hoisted over his shoulder – one menacing glare from the Prince quickly chased away any disillusions of such a notion. 

          Finally reaching a deserted hall, Endymion halted and dropped Serena to the ground. With a low growl, he said, "You're avoiding me. Why?" 

          One would expect such a petite frame of a girl to cower at such an intimidating tone – but Serena was still too pissed off to feel any other emotion than indignant anger. How dare he throw her over his shoulders like she was one of those sickening ladies of the court and demand anything with that tone. "What do you mean, I'm avoiding you? You were late, so I got another partner. Simple as that."

           Eyes narrowing dangerously, Endymion spoke once again. "You know as well as I do that this has nothing to do with my punctuality. So we kissed – I thought that meant we were getting somewhere. At least I thought we were… just when I think I start to understand women…" he said, muttering the last part. He looked pensive for a moment, then was suddenly looking quite lost, exclaiming in a loud, exasperated voice, "What the _hell did I do wrong?"_

          The blond merely stared at him in response, eyeing the ring insignia on his left hand, that which told of his rank as the Prince of Spain and heir to the throne. Hesitating, she finally spoke, "You're a prince – a prince of one of the greatest empires of the world. You can't marry me; you'd have to marry a princess, or empress, or some other ladylike girl that's stunningly beautiful. Take a look at me, _Prince Endymion," here, a bitter note escaped her lips, "I'm not some princess – hell, I pummeled my ten year old brother when I was six for making fun of the dress I was wearing. I'm a lady knight – I've stomped on, ripped up, and burned every etiquette rule in existence about being a lady the day I stepped into this castle and started my training. No, your parents wouldn't approve – I'm not good enough for you." She spat, but her eyes began welling up, and embittered tears fell from her fair face. _

          Realization engulfed Endymion like a tidal wave, and he suddenly understood. Taking her into his arms, he hugged her reassuringly. Resting his chin amidst her golden hair, he thought for a moment, and then said with a quiet voice, "Marry me, Serena."

          Startled, Serena looked up with wide eyes at her raven-haired companion. "What – what are you suggesting?" she asked in a quiet, frightful voice – as if she was in some surreal dream.

          Smiling, he said with great certainty, "Exactly what I said. Marry me, and be my queen."

          "You – you can't do that. You have to marry for the benefit for your country – for treaties, for – wealth, land -- power.  You can't marry for love – it isn't done." And yet, Endymion glimpsed a sparkle of hope within her teary eyes, and was encouraged to persist.

          "Of course we can, love – and that's' what I intend to tell my mother and father tonight when I convene with them tonight." 

          "Oh – oh Endy!" Serena exclaimed, with a cry of happiness. She lunged toward him and encircled her arms around his neck, her lips capturing his in a sweet, gentle kiss. "You've made me so happy!" she exclaimed, eyes sparkling with excited joy. "Shall I see you tomorrow morning then?" 

          "Yes – oh, I just know the moment they meet you, they'll forget any obligation I might have to marry royalty. I shall bring them tomorrow, so you can meet them and dazzle them with your charm. That reminds me – I must be getting ready soon… until tomorrow then!" He added, running off to his dormitories.

          Smiling to herself, she hummed a tune as she walked to the mess hall for supper.

          Endymion was appropriately nervous at the moment, twisting his cloth napkin as he glanced nervously at his parents, then shifting his eyes back to his plate, which had remained untouched all evening. Announcing that you didn't intend to marry royalty when you were the Prince of Spain was a very perplexing demon to vanquish. 

          Raye was getting increasingly annoyed at her brother's fidgety state. He would glance back and forth to his parents, and to his plate. What she also noted was that his plate was empty – something that simply didn't occur in this dimension. Her brother, the cocky, obnoxious pig that he was – was never nervous either. Ha! She thought to herself, he must have done something horrible. Perhaps he got kicked out of school, she thought with a twisted humor. She gave him an expectant stare, but exasperated by his distracted state, dropped her fork with a delicate "ring" of its silver properties and said, "Alright – so what did you do?"

          Endymion's eyes widened in a frightened horror – but he quickly placed a mask of confidence upon his face and met her blunt accusation with his own, "What_ever do you speak of, dear sister? __I haven't done anything – you on the other hand, have repeatedly had your name paired with a certain knight quite recently. Now sister – I would never dream of accusing you of being untrue to your engaged, our lovely Prince Jadeite – but the rumors really do speak for themselves." He finished, flashing her a devious grin._

          Raye, in response, turned a bright red, and spat out with a mean viciousness, "And what of you, dear brother? _I have heard you and that lady knight, Serena, would spend every night together. Of course, it was veiled under the claim that you two were "practicing," but surely you know that a baroness is not good enough for the heir to Spain's throne? At least I am engaged to a Prince – it's coming rather close to your eighteenth birthday – but of course, you have some prospective __royalty in mind?" Her violet eyes crackled with a fiery spirit as she saw her __dear brother recoil at what she had mentioned. She had won this battle._

          "Dammit!" the prince thought to himself, "you're so stupid, Endymion! Now that your damnable sister has brought up the subject, mother will be sure to…"

          "That reminds me, my son," his mother interrupted

          "… follow" he finished, groaning inwardly at how the such delicate topic was thrust out in such a manner. He looked up to meet his mother's eyes, and saw the same fiery determination he often saw in Raye when she was determined to do something. He didn't even want to dream of what she might say.

          "Your father and I have been discussing this topic for quite some time now – delegating with other kings and queens and the sort. Raye brought up a good point," here, Raye gave a triumphant look, "you are nearing the age of eighteen, and we feel we have given you more than enough time to search for a wife. Since you appear to have some difficulty in deciding, your father and I have taken upon ourselves to decide for you. We have spoken with the Queen of England, and both sides have agreed it would be best if you married the Princess of England and join our two countries together. In other words – you are engaged to the Princess of England." Queen Isabella finished, searching the shell-shocked look in her son's eyes, wondering why he appeared to be so disturbed by such news. He knew this would happen eventually…

          "But – but mother," he sputtered out, choking on his words,

          "Now Endymion – we worked very hard for this agreement to come about. There will be no discussion about it. You are to marry the Princess, and you shall follow my orders accordingly." The King Phillip announced, rising from his seat and leaving the room, his wife following closely behind him.

          "…Shit…" Endymion muttered under his breath, fully aware of the fact that the night's occurrence had just chased away any hopes of him and Serena ever marrying…

**Author Notes: So!!!! What do you think? I made it EXTRA long for you guys, sorry for such a long wait. I got some great responses from all of you, and the chapters should start coming out more regularly now that exams are over. *dances around happily*. **

          If you would like to be part of my mailing list, email me at sakura_cherry_blossoms@hotmail.com and ask me, alright? Or mail me if you want to tell me how spectacularly wonderful I am… hehe, I'm joking. ^_^ 

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